Shoe fastening attachment



April 2, 1957 R. F. .JACKSON SHOE FAsTENlNG ATTACHMENT Filed May l5, 1953 United States Patent O 2,787,038 sHoE FASTENING ATTACHMENT Rupert F. Jackson, Cleveland,` (hio Applieanon May 13, 195'3, Serial No. 354,671

z` claims. (cl. 22a- 69) This invention has for its object the provision of novel fastening means for lace-type shoes, means which may be substituted for the laces usually employed, and which will enable the quick securing of the shoe to the foot, and removal` therefrom.

In the use of shoes of common kinds, the shoe is equipped with a middle tongue overlappedV by two side aps of the vamp which kare provided with the usual eyelets through which the customary laces are passed, to be tied for closing the vamp of the shoe `and untied and loosened for facilitating removal of the shoe from the foot.

The' handling of the laces as Iabove described is frequently a nuisance,` particularly for children and workmen in respect to those shoes worn by them for play and work, respectively, and' not for style or dress occasions. Additionally, the laces constantly wear out in play and work use, requiring replacements with incidental expense.

With the` above in mind,` I` have originated a fastening device which may be quickly aplied to an ordinarily laced shoe, on removal ofi the lace, or originally supplied with such shoe without the lace therefor, and the use of which will serve to very effectively close and hold the vamp flaps securely over the tongueV very quickly, and susceptible of release just as quickly,` thedevice being usable with all shoes having the usual` lace eyelets.

My fastening` device is designed'to be interlocked wit-h` the eyelet' openings of the shoe flaps without in any way requiring modification ofthe shoe parts, and is composed of twoV main parts,l each of which remains attached to an associ-ated Hap of the shoe as long. as the fastening device is desired to be employed. But each said part can be` at' any time detached from the shoe should the user wish to use laces with the shoe in lieu of my improvement device Many persons frequently do not have the patience or time to use their shoes` with attaehedlaces, particularly workmen and children above referred to, and therefore, my device afords-a handy means to eliminate the ernployment of the lace securing means.

Additionally, my fastening` device has been designed with a viewA to adaptability to shoes of different sizes, even shoes whose eyelet'sf are slightly differently spaced, rendering the device almost universally useful for-its purposes on different shapes, sizes and kinds of eyelet equipped foot coverings, by reason of resiliency and adjustability of the parts of the fastening means, as will more fully appear as this descriptionproceeds.

Itis to beunderstood my fastening device is` not'necessarily limited to` use for shoes ofthe nature above'meni tioned; Many persons who nd laces on their shoes objectionable, may findthe handy device of my invention suitable and desirable touselwith their usually laced shoes, dneto the quickness of fastening andrelease action ofthe device, when-they shoes are usedv for" anyrof their usual purposes.

2,787,038 `lhitented Apr. 2, -7

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of the front vamp portion of an ordinary shoe, showing my fastening device as when applied thereto by interlocking the parts of theV device with the eyelet portions of the flaps. l

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view, taken about on the line 2 2 of Figure l, looking -in the direction of the arrows. j 4 j Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view taken about on the line 3-3 of Figure l, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a top plan View of one of the attachment members ofmy device, alone. v

Figure 5 is an edge view of the member illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a top plan View of the other of my attachment members, used with the attachment `member shown in Figures 4 and 5, and which carries al lever locking or clamping member pivotally mounted thereon.

Figure 7 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 6, with the parts adjusted as in the positions in which they are illustrated `in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side or edge view, of the attachment member and clamping part, as` shown in Figures 6 and 7, the View being taken looking toward the member as illustrated in Figure 6, from the lower side thereof.

ln Figure l of the drawings, there is shown in afragmentary manner, the vamp portion A of an ordinary shoe, said vamp being provided at its front portion as usual with the spaced aps l andZ. These laps` are provided at intervals in the direction of the length of the vamp or of the shoe, and near the adjacent edges of said flaps with the usual form of eyelets designated 3.

My fastening device comprises essentially two main attachment members denoted 4' and S inthe drawings. The attachment member 4 as well as the attachment member 5, is made preferably from suitable gauge spring wire.

Describing the attachment member 4 first',\it will be noted that the same consists of a fastening loop 6 including a cross bar, the ends ofV which are bent and re-V bent as generally shown yat 7 toprovide spring bends adjacent to'opposite endsof said cross bar @from which bends 7 the ends of the wire are :extended in opposite directions and substantially parallel with the sides ofthe bent'portion to provide the flapV interlocking end members 8. The extremities of" the members 3' are peculiarly formed in that they are bent laterally and outwardly as shown at 9 so that they may be passed through eyelets in a ap of the shoe vamp in a downward direction, and engage beneath the walls of cooperating eyelets 3 so Ias to eifectively prevent the accidental displacement of the attachment member 6 `from the flap with which it is connected. The bends 7 of the attachment member 6, oy

reasoniof the resiliency of the springV wire from which" they are made, are so adjustedthat there is a slight tendency' for these bends to move the flap engaging eXj tremities 9 of the portions 8 of the member 6 in' oppositev directions. Thus, the spring` action' tendingto move the parts 9 in the manner stated adequately insures that said4 members 9Will remain interlocked with the eyeletsV 3" of the ap 1 as shownin the dra-wings throughout the use of the attachment member as applied` to said flap.k While' more quickly displaced, should it be desired to dispense with the use of the fastening device of the invention at any time.

The other fastening or attachment member forming a part of my fastening device, and used with the member illustrated primarily in Figures 4 and 5, will now be described. The other or second attachment member is shown best by itself in Figures 6, 7 and 8, and in combination with the member of Figures 4 and 5, in Figures 1 and 2. Said second fastening member, denoted 5, as seen in Fiugres 6, 7 and 8, comprises a body portion very similar to that of the attachment member previously referred to, namely 4, in that it comprises a loop member consisting of a cross bar 11, and the side portions 12. The inner ends of the side portion 12 of the loop member, are bent upwardly slightly as shown at 12a, so as to carry the cross bar 11 so that the latter may form the pivotal axis of a pivoted locking or clamp member 13. The sides of the loop of the attachment member 5 now being described, are provided with spring bends at 14, similar to the bends 7 on the attachment member 4 and the extremities of the wire from which the member 5 is made,

extend in opposite directions as shown at in a manner corresponding with the portions 8 of the member 4, Also, the parts 15 are provided with the downwardly and outwardly bent extremities 16 that correspond with the extremities 9 of the member 4 previously described. Thus, the action of the attachment member 5 so far as its engagement with the eyelets 3 of the flap 2 of the shoe is the same as the action of the member 4 in its cooperation with its flap 1. The staples straddling the portion 15 of the member 5 may be employed or not, as the user may deem desirable, and are designated 10 also in the drawings.

The form of the clamping or locking lever 13 for my fastening device is somewhat peculiar. Generally speaking, this lever is constructed so as to provide an elongated loop body member, the sides of which are coiled as at 17, around the cross bar 11 of the member 5, to afford pivotal connection between the member 13 and said bar 11. The extremities of the wire material from which the loop lever member 13 is made, are bent laterally in respect to the cross bar 11 so as to extend at an angle therefrom when the lever 13 is either in its released position or in its locking position, the latter being illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. The laterally bent extremities of the member 13 are designated 18 and project from the loops 17 that form the pivotal supporting means for the member 13.

The foregoing describes the construction of my fastening device comprising the two main attachment members, one of them including the lever locking contrivance employed and mounted in the manner previously set forth. The Operation of the fastening device will now be described.

It will be assumed that the vamp of the shoe comprising the flaps 1 and 2 previously referred to and having the usual tongue 19, is supplied to the user of my invention with the laces removed, or if the shoe comes to the user with the laces in place, said laces will be detached for enabling the application of the invention to the shoe. The attachment of my fastening device to the shoe may be very quickly performed. Thus, attachment member 4 may be placed in position as shown in Figure 1 on the flap 2 by merely pressing the bends 7 of the member 4 slightly towards each other, at the same time introducing the interlocking extremities 9 into and through the eye lets 3 which they are to engage. Then by releasing the pressure of said bends 7, in the manner stated, the extremities 9 will engage underneath the flap 2 of the vamp, will interlock with the eyelet portion as indicated, and will be prevented from displacement from said flap. The staples 2 may be applied over the parts 8 of the member 4 if desired, but are not necessary.

Next, the attachment member 5 may be applied to the ap 1 of the vamp in the same manner, as described in reference to the member 4, interlocking its particular extremities 16 with corresponding eyelets and the staples 10 may be attached or not,` as may be desired, depending somewhat upon whether the user plans to utilize the attachment device of the invention permanently or just for a short period of time.

With the attachment member 5 applied to its ap 1, the lever or locking member 13 may be passed between the bend parts 7 of the attachment member 4, and engage with the cross bar 6 in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2, and then by imparting pivotal movement to the lever 13 in a leftward direction as seen in said figures, the portions 11 and 6 of the members 5 and 4 respectively will be drawn together until the lever or locking member 13 is adjusted to its position with the extensions 18 on the pivoted ends of the member 13 slightly over a deadcenter position, as shown best in Figure 2, thus to automatically maintain the lever 13 in its locked position. It is notable that when the lever 13 is engaged with the member 6 of the attachment member 4, and the lever locked for the clamping action thereof the bends 7 of the member 4 and the bends 14 of the member 5, are adapted to yield slightly by reason of the resiliency of the material from which the members 4 and 5 are made. On this account, ilaps 1 and 2 of shoes of somewhat different sizes will be tensioned or pulled toward each other to cause the aps to be closed snugly on the front portion of the foot, under such slight tension tending to hold the clamping or locking lever 13 in its closed locking position, and adjusting the ilaps properly with the requisite amount of tightness or snugness to the fo'ot.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a very simple form of fastening device attachable to the general run of shoes equipped with vamp aps provided with the customary eyelets, one which may be very cheaply manufactured, and one which may be sold as a unit for employment in conjunction with shoes of different sizes and shapes and applicable to the latter without any modication in the structure of the shoe or the structure of the fastening device itself.

Furthermore, the method of applying my fastening device is so simple `and effective that any person supplied with the most simple directions may put the device on a shoe very quickly and this may be usefully employed even Without the application of the staple means 10, and removed with the same facility with which it can be applied.

As seen best in Figure 2, when the lever 13 is in its locking position, the end members 18 which lock with said lever toward the tongue 19 or vamp portion of the shoe, will so engage the tongue that a pressure is exerted outwardly on ythese parts 18 at the inner extremities thereof, tending to maintain the lever 13 in its so-called over dead center position, and locked against accidental outward movement which would cause a release of the fastening device. Therefore, only by hand manipulation of the lever '13 will this member be released, in the use of the invention as for conditioning the shoe for removal of the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. A shoe fastening device comprising first and second complemental attachment members, each member being made from a piece of spring wire the middle portion of which forms a cross bar and having a portion `at each end thereof bent parallel to and spaced from the cross bar in the direction of the opposite end of the latter yto provide a spring bend, and then rebent in an outward opposite direction spacedly from the irst portion to provide a second spring bend and an end part parallel to and spaced from the first porti-on, said end part having an extremity deeted from the plane of the said member to engage in the eyelet of a shoe-flap, the said 'bent and rebent portions being compressible toward each other for facilitating engagement of said deflected extremities in the shoe eyelets, and said bent and rebent portions being yieldable to move in a direction transverse to their compressing movement to increase the space between the bent and rebent portions to connect to eyeleted shoe flaps of different sized shoes, and a clamping member pivoted to the cross bar of One attachment member and engageable with that of the complemental attachment member and movable to connect and disconnect said members.

2. A fastening device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the clamping member is in the form of an elongated body loop having the sides near the ends thereof coiled about the cross bar of the attachment References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 156,500 Robinson Nov. 3, 1874 238,731 Thomson Mar. 8, 1881 382,540 Marshall May 8, 1888 808,028 Ellis Dec. 19, 1905 880,296 Gordon Feb. 25, 1908 963,799 M-cDade July 12, 1910 

